Enterprise Ireland invested €27.6 million in 157 start-ups in 2024. The investment was made through Enterprise Ireland’s High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) and Pre-Seed Start Fund (PSSF) programs. The results were announced at Enterprise Ireland’s annual Start-Up Day Conference in Dublin on May 7, 2025.
Over 600 delegates attended the event. 90 High Potential Start-Ups were supported. Each has the potential to create 10 jobs and €1 million in sales within three years.
69 Pre-Seed Start Fund investments were made to provide early-stage funding to new businesses. 63 of the supported companies were based outside of Dublin. 45 were women-led initiatives.
Enterprise Ireland’s 2024 start-up investments
13 HPSUs emerged from academic research. 25 were spun out of third-level institutions.
34 received support through the Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Fund Programme. 2024 was the final year of Enterprise Ireland’s three-year ‘Leading in a Changing World 2022-2024’ strategy. During this period, 266 HPSUs and 213 Pre-Seed Start Fund approvals were granted.
Over €78 million was invested in start-up companies. Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke TD said, “The strong pipeline of innovative start-ups emerging over the last three years demonstrates the extraordinary resilience and business ambition of Irish-founded start-up teams, particularly amid a challenging global economic period.”
Enterprise Ireland’s Interim CEO Kevin Sherry said, “Start-Up Day 2025 is a celebration of Ireland’s strong and dynamic start-up community. The Start-Up class of 2024 will play a significant role in contributing to the vibrancy of Ireland’s start-up ecosystem.”
Enterprise Ireland’s new five-year strategy, ‘Delivering for Ireland, Leading Globally,’ aims to support 1,000 new start-ups from 2025 to 2029.
The agency will engage with the start-up ecosystem to bolster support for early-stage companies. This will ensure a robust pipeline of scalable, innovative businesses.
